Feeding problems: Refusing to eat favorite foods

The problem

For the past six months, your 18-month-old has been happily drinking milk at every meal. But this morning he declared that he doesn't like milk anymore.

What you can do

When your child suddenly refuses to eat a favorite food, don't make a big deal out of it. Deciding that she no longer likes a particular food is one way for her to assert her independence.

Keep offering the rejected food in a low-pressure way, since she may decide at some point that she likes it again. In the meantime, if it's an important food, such as milk, try offering other things that contain milk, such as yogurt and cheese.

Or maybe your child has decided that she hates all vegetables. Again, try not to make a big deal out of it. Focus on fruit instead. Cantaloupe, for example, contains lots of beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A and is one of the main nutrients in red and yellow vegetables.

Meanwhile, keep trying to reintroduce the vegetables in a low-key way. It's tempting to beg or bribe kids to try foods, but these are probably not effective long-term strategies. Simply having the vegetables at the table and eating them yourself is a great way to model good eating habits.

Be creative in your efforts. Disguising milk in a milkshake or vegetables (and milk!) in a low-fat cheese sauce is one way to get it down the hatch. Taking advantage of your child's growing desire for independence is another. Allowing kids to pour her own cup of milk (with your help, of course) or dip their own broccoli into the cheese sauce may get them interested.

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